ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to demonstrate how species-specific traits of seeds and seedlings are related to life history traits and regeneration strategies of species. The importance of seed and seedling ecology has been increasingly recognized both in basic and applied research during the last few decades as is evident in a literature search. Many features of plant communities are strongly influenced by events surrounding reproduction by seeds. Seeds and young seedlings represent attractive resources to a broad array of consumers. In general, seed tissue has a much higher concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium than other plant tissues, in addition to being a rich source of carbohydrates and, in some cases, oils. Seed dispersal is important for avoiding competition from the parent, escape from localized natural enemies, arrival in safe sites, successful colonization of other communities to avoid extinction, and so determining plant diversity and distribution at both local and regional scales.
